In an industry flooded with tools that don't always talk to each other, getting your tech stack to work together is one of the smartest moves you can make.
That's why I'm looking forward to unpacking this latest episode of Digital Builder. I sit down with Tom Reno, Co-Founder of Agave, a solution that syncs field and accounting data in real-time. Trusted by over 300 construction companies, Agave supports 100+ data types, including budgets, contracts, timesheets, and costs.
In this conversation, we break down what integrations really mean in construction and how to make them work for your business.
We discuss:
To get the most value out of integrations, you need to make sure everyone understands what they are—and what they’re not. Let's clear up a few common misconceptions.
Definitions may vary
One thing the Agave team sees all the time? People assume "integration" means the same thing to everyone.
"There's an assumed definition of what an integration is, and when everyone says 'integration,' it means the same exact thing. But the reality is there are a lot of different types of integrations," explains Tom.
Integrations come in all shapes and sizes—from simple file exports to fully automated, real-time data syncing. Some are triggered by schedules, others by specific updates.
With all that in mind, it's critical to define what "integration" means for your team—and what you need it to do—before you dive in.
And remember just because a vendor says they have an integration doesn't mean it works the way you think it does.
Integrations are plug-and-play
Another misconception, says Tom, is that integrations are plug-and-play. Some people may think that "you can just glue tools together and everything works very quickly and instantaneously."
But this view is far from the truth.
"Anyone who's done integrations understands that these are very complex systems. And even for a small company, there are a lot of configurations and customizations you might add. Not all integrations are the same, and they're not plug and play."
Tom likes to describe it as plug-and-configure:
"We can stitch together your systems—that part is relatively straightforward. However, there's a lot of configurations that we'll need to fine-tune to ensure that systems can talk to each other in the way that your company needs them to."
Integrations can solve ambiguous business processes
Some people see integrations as a silver bullet that can magically streamline everything. And while they can drive efficiency, they only work when your processes are already clear and well-defined.
As Tom puts it, "integrations don't solve ambiguous business processes. They codify processes that you've already defined."
When your processes are confusing or inconsistent to begin with, an integration may only exacerbate the issue.
"Often when we're adding an integration for a company, it surfaces misalignment or undefined processes. If you try to integrate on top of that, that's going to be very difficult and introduce a world of pain," remarks Tom.
Integrating your software can unlock tremendous benefits, but as we alluded to earlier, it can also create friction and delays if you dive in without clear goals or alignment. Here are the steps you can take to ensure your integration journey is as smooth as possible.
Have those internal discussions
Start by hashing out your needs, objectives, and ROI with internal teams. According to Tom, this will help everyone gain clarity on what an integration is really meant for. Ask yourself and your teams:
From there, come up with a list of requirements. That way, you can walk into vendor conversations with a plan.
"Put them in a spreadsheet or a bullet format. If you can come to a vendor or a consultant with a rough set of requirements, that makes the conversation much more productive," says Tom.
Ensure you have a clear source of truth for your data
Another tip? Decide which system owns which data type and stick to it.
"We like to recommend having a clear source of truth for each type of data," remarks Tom. "You don't want to have two systems that are the sources of truth, which inevitably compete."
Understand the systems you're integrating
Tom says it's crucial to gain hands-on experience with the tools before attempting to connect them.
"Make sure that you are using and familiar with the systems that you want to integrate. It's a prerequisite, and it's often a blocking factor for adopting a new system."
Narrow your scope
The phrase "don't boil the ocean" often sounds cliché in corporate circles, but that's because it's good advice. And this same mindset applies to construction integrations.
"We recommend narrowing the scope in whatever you do," says Tom. Doing so helps you build trust with stakeholders, especially those who may have been burned by poor software implementations in the past.
So, start narrow and develop proof points that you can validate. And depending on the results, you can expand the scope later.
Have robust core systems
Before exploring shiny new apps or AI-powered add-ons, see to it that your foundation is solid. That means having reliable, integration-ready core systems. This may include your ERP, accounting, or HR platforms.
"If your core systems don't have a means to integrate with the growing ecosystem of cloud applications, that's going to hinder your business," says Tom.
Outdated tools can slow down decision-making, create data silos, and even make it harder to attract modern talent.
"Ensuring the systems that house most of your data are connected—if they're not already—should be a top priority," he adds.
Even the best integrations can't deliver results if the information that runs through them is messy or outdated. For your integrations to truly provide value, your data must tick three boxes:
"Clean, accurate, timely data puts guardrails in your systems," says Tom. "Have hard validation rules so you can at least capture data when it happens fairly quickly, but also accurately."
Avoiding the pitfalls of corrupted data
Even if your systems are technically "connected," poor integration practices can introduce corrupted, inaccurate, or unusable data. To keep your data in good shape across platforms, follow these strategies:
If you're a contractor evaluating vendors, it pays to go beyond the product demo and dig into the real-world implementation details. Here are some of the questions and discussion points Tom recommends you bring up in conversations with tech providers.
"Here's what we're trying to do—does this make sense?"
Start with your goals, even if they're not fully defined yet. The right partner will help you clarify them, not just nod and sell.
"I always like customers asking, 'Can you try to poke holes in this?'" remarks Tom. A great vendor will sense-check your plan, point out blind spots, and be honest if their tool isn't the right fit. "If the vendor just sells you regardless of what you say, they're probably not a good partner to have," he adds.
"What does implementation look like and how long does it take?"
"A lot of software vendors have really good sales pitches, maybe even great products, but the implementation is where the rubber meets the road," Tom points out. He warns that even great software can go sideways if it's misimplemented.
That's why he recommends getting into the nitty-gritty of implementation early on.
Ask: Who will be managing your setup? How long does it usually take? Can you talk to customers like you who've been through it? Knowing these things will enable you to understand potential pitfalls and avoid them later.
"Why don't your customers renew?"
This is a bold question, but it'll lead to even more productive and insightful conversations. Tom advises taking the time to understand why customers might churn. Are there implementation issues? A price hike? Something else? Whatever the case, the answer will reveal how transparent and customer-centric a provider truly is.
"An honest vendor will tell you, and they'll have data to back things. It'll stoke a great conversation around renewals and shed light on where the friction is and how to mitigate that upfront."
Digital Builder is hosted by me, Eric Thomas. Remember, new episodes of Digital Builder go live every week. Listen to the Digital Builder Podcast on:
